Kicking off the holiday season and celebrating the joy of cooking, the US Embassy along with the US Department of Agriculture, hosted the Great American Cook-Off in Delhi recently. With celebrity chef Ajay Chopra conducting a masterclass on cooking the perfect duck, the aroma of spices enveloped everyone. From Georgia pecans to California pistachios and almonds, from Washington Apples, and Wisconsin cranberries, the possibilities for creative expression were endless.
Duck breast with a cranberry and orange sauce, asparagus and a sweet potato galette made by Ajay Chopra
‘Food should be without borders in the world’“A notion that people believe in is that they will only use Indian ingredients. I believe in cooking without borders, in my cuisine, and also in my ingredients. We should not become political when we’re talking about food,” shared chef Ajay Chopra. Four home chefs battled it out as Ajay Chopra along with Christopher Elms, Kathryn Fiedler and Genessa Giorgi from the US Embassy, judged the cook-off to choose the best fusion dish of the day. Pecan pulao with turkey, chickpea kebab with walnuts and saffron pulao with maple syrup were some of the flavour combinations that the contestants chose.
Ajay Chopra along with Christopher Elms, Kathryn Fiedler and Genessa Giorgi from the US Embassy, judged the cook-off to choose the best fusion dish of the day
‘Food celebrates US-India relations’Christopher Elms, spokesperson of the US Embassy, said, “Food absolutely connects us. And I think that’s one great thing about the trade relationship that we have. You see the growing agricultural exports to India from the United States. And what people are doing is connecting to the United States through the food that’s coming. We’re looking at the endless possibilities of celebrating together, where we create and celebrate, not just our food, but the warm spirit that defines the US India relations.” Mallikaa, who creates food content online, took the top-spot at the cook-off with her pecan pulao with cranberry glazed turkey and pistachio butter cream, a dish which left the judges licking their fingers.
Home chefs prepared fusion food, pecan pulao with cranberry glazed turkey and pistachio butter cream by Mallikaa took the winning spot
